have any rough debris on the sides or it will not hang
properly.
Another quickly made pendulum is a man-made
crystal drop found in many stores. Although you can
thread a string directly through the hole in the top of
the drop, it makes a better pendulum if you attach a
large jump-ring first, then thread the string through the
ring. Thread attached directly to the top of the
pendulum has a tendency to slip one way or the other,
thus throwing the pendulum off balance.
Another inexpensive type of homemade pendulum is a
lead fishing weight. Purchase a lead sinker weighing
from 1/2 ounce to 2 ounces. Tie about 10 inches of
lightweight nylon fishing line to the top of the weight.
Begin with about 3 inches of line hanging between the
lead weight and your fingers. Gently swing the line,
increasing the hanging length as necessary, until you
find the point where the weight swings easily and freely.
This is the proper length for using the lead sinker as a
pendulum.
Some people prefer the bullet-type pendulum, which
is a 1-inch steel weight about the thickness of a pencil
and pointed at one end. This shape vaguely mimics the
many natural crystal points offered in many New Age
shops. Although some purists try to dissuade people
from buying pendulums shaped by craftsmen in this
fashion or man-made crystals, I have not found any
difficulty using either type.
Other shapes for pendulums are the fat, little, round
ones with a point, or those shaped entirely like a ball.
The round pendulums with a shaped point at the bottom
are usually made of brass bronze, or a combination of
metals, such as the Mermet pendulum mentioned on this
page. Other ball pendulums are frequently made of